Manage mailbox databases in Exchange 2013

A mailbox database is a unit of granularity where mailboxes are created and stored. A mailbox database is stored as an Exchange database (.edb) file. In Microsoft Exchange Server 2013, each mailbox database has its own properties that you can configure.

This topic shows you how to perform configuration tasks related to managing your mailbox databases in Microsoft Exchange Server 2013.

Select Databases, and then click to select the mailbox database you want to configure.

Click Editto configure the attributes of a mailbox database.

Use the General tab to view status about the mailbox database, including the mailbox database path, last backup, and mailbox database status:

Database path This read-only field displays the full path to the Exchange 2013 database (.edb) file for the selected mailbox database. To view the entire path, you may have to click the path and use the Right Arrow key. You can't use this field to change the path. To change the location of the database files, use the Move-DatabasePath cmdlet.

Last full backup This read-only field displays the date and time of the last complete backup of the mailbox database.

Last incremental backup This read-only field displays the date and time of the last incremental backup of the mailbox database.

Status This read-only field displays whether the mailbox database is mounted or dismounted.

Mounted on server This read-only field displays which server the database is mounted on.

Master This read-only field displays the master server for the mailbox database. The Mailbox server that hosts the active copy of a database is referred to as the mailbox database master.

Master type This read-only field displays the type of mailbox database master.

Modified This read-only field displays the date and time the database was last modified.

Servers hosting a copy of this database This read-only field displays the other servers that have a copy of this database.

Use the Maintenance tab to configure mailbox database settings, including specifying a journal recipient, setting a maintenance schedule, and mounting the database at startup:

Journal Recipient Click Browse to specify a recipient to enable journaling on this mailbox database. Remove the recipient listed to disable journaling.

Maintenance schedule Use this list to select one of the preset maintenance schedules. You can also configure a custom schedule. To configure a custom schedule, click Customize.

Enable background database maintenance (24 x 7 ESE scanning) Select this check box to enable online database scanning, which runs continuously in the background. Online database scanning performs a checksum calculation of the database and performs operations that allow Exchange to scan for lost space on the database and recover it. If you select this check box, Exchange scans the database no more than one time per day and will issue a warning event if it can't finish scanning the database in a seven-day period.

Don't mount this database at startup Select this check box to prevent Exchange from mounting this mailbox database when it starts.

This database can be overwritten by a restore Select this check box to allow the mailbox database to be overwritten during a restore process.

Use the Limits tab to specify the storage limits, the warning message interval, and the deletion settings for a mailbox database:

Issue warning at (GB) Select this check box to automatically warn mailbox users that their mailbox is approaching its storage limit. To specify the storage limit, select the check box, and then specify in gigabytes (GB) how much content can be stored in the mailbox before a warning email message is sent to the mailbox users. You can enter a value from 0 through 2,097,151 megabytes (MB) (2.0 terabytes).

Prohibit send at (GB) Select this check box to prevent users from sending new email messages after the size of their mailbox reaches the specified limit. To specify this limit, select the check box, and then type the size of the mailbox in GB at which you want to prohibit the sending of new email messages and notify the user. You can enter a value from 0 through 2,097,151 MB (2.0 terabytes).

Prohibit send and receive at (GB) Select this check box to prevent users from sending and receiving email messages after their mailbox size reaches the specified limit. To specify this limit, select the check box, and then type the size of the mailbox in GB at which you want to prohibit the sending and receiving of email messages and notify the user. You can enter a value from 0 through 2,097,151 MB (2.0 terabytes).

Keep deleted items for (days) Select this check box to set the number of days that deleted items are retained in a mailbox. You can enter a value from 0 through 24,855 days.

Keep deleted mailboxes for (days) Select this check box to set the number of days that deleted mailboxes are retained. You can enter a value from 0 through 24,855 days.

Don't permanently delete items until the database has been backed up Select this check box to prevent mailboxes and email messages from being deleted until after the mailbox database has been backed up.

Use the Client Settings tab to select the offline address book (OAB) for the mailbox:

Offline address book To select an offline address book, click Browse, and then select the offline address book.

When you’re prompted about whether you're sure that you want to perform the action, type Y.

When the dialog box appears stating that the database was removed successfully, note the location of the Exchange 2013 database (.edb) file. If you want to remove this file from the hard drive, you must remove it manually.